Apartment Chaotics
by StormyKoala
Summary: Mio thought she had been prepared for college. But nothing could have prepared her for this- sharing an apartment with Ritsu, her best friend, maybe even more...? Yuri. Mio/Ritsu.
1. Prologue

**Alternate title: I Have to Share an Apartment With Who? **

***pokes head from out under a rock***

**Hello there!**

**This is the first fanfic I've written in a while, and the first K-ON one. :D**

**So I apologize if some of the characters are OOC, and for any grammar and/or spelling mistakes. Feedback is appreciated! ^o^/**

**I don't own K-ON or any of its characters.**

"This is unbelievable."

Tainaka Ritsu laid spread eagled on her bed, staring at the ceiling.

Akiyama Mio, cross-legged on the floor next to Ritsu's bed, said nothing in response, but continued reading one of Ritsu's manga.

The two sat in Ritsu's messy room, bored out of their minds and having nothing else to do but sit around, or in Mio's case, read manga.

"It IS unbelievable, isn't it, Mio?" Ritsu continued, positioning herself closer to Mio. The dark haired girl didn't respond, only turned a page and continued reading. Annoyed, Ritsu snatched the manga out of Mio's hands and flipped pages back and forth.

"Hey!" Mio yelled angrily, trying to grab the manga back from Ritsu. "Don't lose my page!"

"The storyline in this one is really boring, you know. The main character ends up dying, ya know." Ritsu stated, closing the manga and throwing it to the floor. "Not my kind of ending."

Steaming mad, Mio picked up the manga and hit Ritsu squarely in the head with it, feeling accomplished when she heard Ritsu groan in pain. "Idiot! Can I finish reading a manga without you ruining it for me once?"

Rubbing where Mio had hit her on the head, Ritsu sat up. "But that's what I'm here for, Mio! To ruin it for you! It's my job!" she proclaimed, puffing out her chest.

"…You're asking for another beating, you know." Mio answered, trying to find the page she had been reading.

"You never answered my question, anyway!" Ritsu pouted, sticking her lip out and climbing off her bed to sit next to Mio, who sighed. "What was your question again?" Mio asked, putting the manga down, having given up on finding the page she had been reading. It was pointless to try to read with Ritsu around, anyway.

"It's unbelievable!" Ritsu exclaimed, standing up and throwing her hands in the air. "We graduated high school today and all you want to do is stay in my room and read manga? We need to go out and celebrate! We could call Yui and Ui, Azusa, and Mugi to a celebration!"

Mio sighed and rubbed her temples. "If I remember correctly, you were the one that invited me over. Yui is out at her favorite restraunt with Ui already, Mugi left to go for a small vacation before university started, and I don't want to bother Azusa. Plus, we don't need to celebrate. It's just graduation."

Ritsu gasped overdramatically. "Just graduation? But from now on, we're college students, Mio! Before we start that, a celebration is required!"

Ritsu's bedroom door opened just as Mio was about to respond. Ritsu's little brother, Satoshi, walked in, holding a bag of chips. "Nee-chan, Mom and Dad want to talk to you." He stated plainly, and walked out while eating chips loudly, closing the door behind him.

Ritsu grinned and adjusted the headband she always wore—Mio was sure Ritsu was born with the accessory molded to her head—to hold her messy tawny bangs back. "Let's go, Mio! Maybe my Mom made some kind of special graduation dinner!"

Impatiently, Ritsu grabbed Mio's hand and dragged her out of the room and downstairs. Mio let herself be dragged downstairs, being used to this from Ritsu. She smiled inwardly—Ritsu hadn't changed a bit.

However, Mio's mind was completely blown as she and Ritsu saw what was waiting for them downstairs.

"Congratulations on graduating!"

Multicolored streamers covered the entire living room and kitchen, so it looked as though a rainbow had exploded and covered everything. A handmade banner, equally colorful as the living room, hung above the entrance to the kitchen. "Congratulations Mio and Ritsu!" was painted on it in bright, bold colors.

Ritsu's parents and Satoshi stood underneath the banner, smiling.

Ritsu grinned and whispered in Mio's ear, "I told you a celebration is required."

Mio glared at Ritsu, then quickly masked her annoyance with a smile to meet the Tainakas and—

Her parents?

"M-Mom? Dad?" Mio stuttered, staring at her parents that stood awkwardly by Ritsu's parents. "W-What are you doing here?"

Mio's mother walked over to Mio and hugged her tightly as Ritsu ran into the kitchen to harass Satoshi for not telling her there was going to be a celebration after all.

"We wanted to celebrate our only daughter's graduation from high school!" Mrs. Akiyama exclaimed, letting go of Mio and standing next to her husband, who smiled awkwardly. "A celebration is required, you know." Mr. Akiyama teased, winking at his daughter.

Mio felt her face go red.

Not able to finish her conversation with her parents, Mio found herself being dragged by Ritsu again to the kitchen, where a huge multilayered vanilla cake with strawberries was waiting on the table.

"Don't worry, it doesn't look too fattening," Ritsu said to Mio, grinning.

Mio clenched her fist and resisted the urge to hit Ritsu as hard as she could. The cake did look tasty though.

"I call the first slice!" Ritsu exclaimed, looking for a knife excitedly.

"Wait, before you cut the cake, we have an announcement," Mr. Tainaka said in a clear, deep voice. Ritsu, having found a knife, raised an eyebrow. "What is it, Dad?" She gasped, assuming the worst. "Did the school contact you? Am I going to be held back?" Ritsu fell to her knees in an exaggerated fashion.

Walking over the drummer, Mio grabbed Ritsu's collar and pulled her up roughly. "Stop being overdramatic, idiot."

Mio's parents stood next to Ritsu's parents. The Tainakas and Mrs. Akiyama smiled mysteriously, their faces glowing. Mr. Akiyama coughed into his hand awkwardly. "Eh, well, Ritsu-san, you've known Mio-san for a while now…"

Ritsu threw an arm around Mio's shoulders, grinning. Mio looked at her parents and the Tainakas quizzically. What were her and Ritsu's parents hiding?

"Well... you two have been accepted into the same university, and we don't to overwhelm you with responsibility right away," Mr. Akiyama coughed into his hand; Mr. Tainaka jumped in to cover the pause, "So we and the Tainakas pitched in to pay for an apartment not too far from the university, so you're not overwhelmed with a college life right away. We took care of any standard furniture, any other furniture you'd like other than a bed, couch, and studying desk you'll have to buy yourself. You can move in anytime next week, but the term starts pretty soon, so don't take too long."

There was an awkward silence as Mio and Ritsu stared at their parents, who smiled at them both.

Breaking the ice, Ritsu began to jump up and down excitedly. "Holy crap!" Ritsu exclaimed, clinging to Mio's arm. "Our own apartment! No roommate! Woooo! That's awesome!"

Mio rolled her eyes. Trying not to join Ritsu in jumping up and down excitedly, she smiled gratefully at her parents and the Tainakas. "Thank you, Mom, Dad, Mr. and Mrs. Tainaka."

"Our own apartment! Living alone! Well, other than you, Mio, of course, but still!"

"Let's eat some cake," Mio said, clearing her throat and cutting Ritsu off, practically dragging the drummer over to the kitchen table.

"Aaahh, so eager to gain weight, Mio?" Ritsu teased with her usual grin.

As if on reflex, Mio's hand came into contact with Ritsu's hard head, and the victim fell to the kitchen floor in pain, holding her head.

"Idiot."

Mr. Akiyama stared at his wife. "Since when can Mio be so...violent?" he whispered. An equally surprised Mrs. Akiyama shook her head in shock. Mr. and Mrs. Tainaka merely smiled, used to this kind of behavior from Mio and Ritsu.

**Well, that ends the prologue! :D I hope you liked it, or, at the worst, didn't hate it. D: Sorry if it seems a bit ...rushed, this idea just popped into my mind and wouldn't go away.**

**Please review~!**

**Now off to learn how to everything left handed =u= /shot for being a stalker Ahh, Mio, why are you so amazing. orzzz**


	2. Double Damn

**Oh hi, I'm back 8D *shot* **

**Also, on the topic of Mio reading manga: **

**Hmm, it was never shown in the anime… I don't think :c *goes back to watch again* Ehh, I could picture Mio coming over to Ritsu's house to read some of her shoujo manga, though, since Ritsu rarely studies and it's impossible to ignore Ritsu… for very long;; ufufufu =u= /hopeless shipper**

**I don't own K-ON. If I did, there would be heaps of Mitsu undertones.**

**This chapter focuses on Ritsu. **

The sun lazily rose in the sky, chasing away all traces of black.

"Ahh, I didn't know that he hooked up with the pathetic girl in the end!"

Ritsu carelessly threw the manga into the eye of the storm—or in other words, her room as she laid on her bed lazily.

Her room looked as though a hurricane had decided to strike inside.

Items of clothing were strewn into every area possible, as well as schoolbooks, manga, and other possessions. Ritsu's school uniform was thrown on her bookshelf, which looked as though it had vomited all the books that had been messily thrown in; manga and other reading material were scattered all over.

Ritsu's laptop was safely in its case, but a "studying" desk—which Ritsu used mainly for drumming on when she was bored—was sloppily covered in layers and layers of old schoolwork and alternative papers. Ritsu's prized drumsticks laid carefully on top of the mountain of paper, as if they were the only items worth anything.

To sum it up, Ritsu's room was a complete mess.

And it had all started with Ritsu attempting to clean it up and pack.

Ritsu sat up and stretched, looking at her room. "Damn packing."

Truthfully, Ritsu knew the mess was mostly her fault; she had procrastinated all week, when she was supposed to be packing to move to her—er, and Mio's—apartment.

Today was the day she was going to be moving.

Ritsu sighed and rubbed her temples. "Damn. Double damn."

Just then, her phone started to ring. Without looking at the caller ID—Ritsu had an idea of who would call her just as she was about to start cleaning—she picked up. "Yo!"

"Ricchan!" came Yui's excited call.

Ritsu grinned. "Yui! Hi! What's up?"

"Ehh, Mugi-chan is over, and she has cake!" Ritsu could picture Yui excitedly running around happily at this point. "Come over and have some! It's delicious! And Azunyan is here too! Come say something, Azunyan~!"

Ritsu could hear Yui struggling with trying to get the younger girl to answer the phone. "Hey, Nakano." Ritsu said loudly, grinning. For a second, Yui had wrestled the phone into Azusa's hands apparently, because Ritsu heard a quiet voice saying "Yui-senpai" and "supposed to be cleaning."

Yui had apparently given up, because her cheerful voice was the next thing Ritsu heard. "So wanna come over, Ricchan?"

Ritsu sighed. "Sorry, but I gotta clean—moving and everything."

"Aww," By Yui's tone, Ritsu knew she was pouting. "Can't you do it tomorrow~?"

"I'm moving today."

"Aww."

Yui, Mugi, and Azusa had been thrilled when they heard Mio and Ritsu would be sharing an apartment. Mugi had seemed to be the happiest. "It's so great you two are staying together!" she had cried, eyes sparkling, hands on her cheeks. Azusa had told Mio good luck, and Ritsu had to put Azusa in a "friendly" chokehold before the smaller girl, gasping for breath, had wished Ritsu good luck as well. Yui had, as always, danced around dreaming of cake and Gitah.

"Yeah, so…I better go and work." Ritsu deadpanned, taking a look at her room and frowning.

"What kind of Ricchan works?" Yui gasped dramatically. "Aww, well, say hi to Mio-chan for me!"

"Will do. Well, I'll see ya, Yui."

"Bye, Ricchan~! I'll save you some cake~!"

Ritsu hung up and shoved her phone into her pocket, smiling. That airhead.

Ritsu glanced at her room, before deciding to glare at several stacked brown boxes that sat untouched at the entrance to the disaster—her father had put them there several days before to make moving easier.

Groaning, Ritsu got up from her bed and picked up her iPod, turning it on and putting her earbuds in her ears hastily. Choosing a song without taking a look at the iPod, Ritsu began to pick up her clothes and throw them in clean and dirty piles.

**Make you say "Oh my!"  
>Feels just like I don't try<br>Look so good I might die  
>All I know is<br>Everybody loves me.**

Ritsu grinned, and turned the volume up, cleaning quickly. Soon, small bits of the carpet poked their way shyly through the mess. Ritsu could understand bits and pieces of the song—Mio had attempted to teach Ritsu the English language, but had given up eventually. Some little rules and grammar stuck, so it wasn't a complete waste.

**Get down  
>Swaying to my own sound<br>Flashes in my face now,  
>All I know is<br>Everybody loves me.  
><strong>

Ritsu had now organized her things into "keep" and "don't keep" piles and was throwing trash in her already overflowing trash can. She made drumming motions in the air to the beat of the song, singing what little words she could understand. The sun shone brightly in the sky now, blinding rays trying to fight their way past the closed shutters on Ritsu's window.

The several brown boxes were left untouched, but most of the carpet was visible now, and Ritsu dragged her dirty clothes over to the laundry room, humming along to the song. Walking back to her room, Ritsu grinned when she saw the state the room was in. "I guess Mio was right, music helps me concentrate." She pouted. "Damn you Mio, being right again."

Before she knew it, the song was over and her iPod automatically shuffled. Immediately, Ritsu began to dance along to the music and attempt to sing along, continuing to clean. Shuffling over to the untouched stack of brown boxes, Ritsu opened a box and went around her room, picking up and folding her clean clothes.

**We're not gonna be  
>Just a part of their game<br>We're not gonna be  
>Just the victims<br>They're taking our dreams  
>And they tear them apart<br>'til everyone's the same  
>I've got no place to go<br>I've got nowhere to run  
>They love to watch me fall<br>They think they know it all**

Having finished piling her clean clothes into one box, Ritsu danced over to her laptop and incredibly messy "study desk." Ritsu carefully picked up her laptop, placed it carefully on her bed, and began shuffling through the papers, throwing away the unimportant ones and putting the important papers in an organized pile.

**I'm a nightmare, a disaster  
>That's what they always said<br>I'm a lost cause, not a hero  
>But I'll make it on my own<br>I've gotta prove them wrong  
>Me against the world<br>It's me against the world**

Ritsu unplugged her earphones and grinned. Her room wasn't completely clean, but it was much better than before. "Ehh…I'll leave the rest for later," Ritsu said lazily to no one, falling back on her bed as if all her cleaning energy had been drained. "Yui was right. Cake is essential to life." There was a moment of silence.

Then, snickering came from behind Ritsu's bedroom door; the kind of snickering that's trying to be held back. Ritsu jumped up from her bed and paced over to the door, flinging it open.

Satoshi was leaning against the wall, cheeks pink; hand over his mouth to keep from laughing. Even through his hand, Satoshi's snickering was loud and noticeable—unless of course you had been dancing in your room and singing along to songs while cleaning.

"Nee-chan," Satoshi gasped out between snickers, "Mom wants to talk to you downstairs…" A fresh set of snickering escaped from him, and he fell to the ground, laughing so hard his face turned red. Ritsu's face resembled the color of a tomato, but for different reasons. "SATOSHI! STOP LAUGHING!"

A few minutes later, Ritsu trudged downstairs, cheeks pink. Her mother sat in the living room, watching television on the couch, a cup of tea in her hands. As her daughter came into sight, Mrs. Tainaka smiled and sipped her tea. "I had wondered if something had happened to Satoshi after I sent him up there…" she said vaguely, looking at her daughter. Ritsu didn't answer; instead, she flopped on the couch next to her mother.

"Yeah, Satoshi was…busy." Ritsu pouted. "So what'd you wanna talk about?"

The pout didn't go unnoticed by Ritsu's mother, but she decided to let it go. "It's about…the apartment you'll be sharing with Mio-chan." Ritsu raised an eyebrow and got up from the couch. "Gonna grab a soda." Ritsu answered plainly, trudging over to the kitchen to get one.

"Well anyway… your father and I just wanted to tell you that you and Mio-chan can come visit and talk anytime," Ritsu's mother continued, sipping her tea. As Ritsu came back to the living room, Sprite in hand, she gave her mother a long look. Opening the can, Ritsu sighed. "I can tell there's something else you wanna say, Mom."

Ritsu nearly dropped her soda. In a flash, she had been on the opposite side of the couch from her mother, then suddenly she was engulfed in a tight hug. "M-Mom!" Ritsu squeaked. _How long has it been since she hugged me? _

"Ritsu, your father, Satoshi and I—we love you. Don't forget that." Ritsu's mother pulled back, only to be pulled back in by Ritsu. "Mom, just because I'm going to college doesn't mean I'll forget my family," Ritsu said, grinning as usual. "I'll come to visit, I promise." Pulling away from the hug, Ritsu gave her mother a genuine smile.

Ritsu's mother sniffed. "H-have fun at college, alright?" Ritsu grinned. "I will, Mom." Standing up and stretching, Ritsu took a drink from her can of Sprite and walked back upstairs. Satoshi had gone upstairs and was probably playing some video game, so Ritsu walked back into her room undisturbed. Making sure to keep her music at a low volume so she didn't miss the smallest sound, Ritsu resumed cleaning her room.

"Here goes nothing."

**/shot**

**This seems like such a filler chapter, I'm sorry. ;o;**

**Okay, so no Mitsu fluff…yet. I promise there will be some eventually! Plot comes before fluff, though. Sorry. **

**So, I hope you enjoyed this…chapter…thing. I really tried to put things in Ritsu's point of view, and …well…yeah.**

**/end random note thing**

**The songs were: "Everybody Loves Me" by One Republic**__**and "Me Against the World" by Simple Plan. I don't know. I tried to pick songs that had nice rhythms and beats… OTL;;;**

**I could totally picture Mio listening to Owl City though, haha. /shot again**

**Reviews are always appreciated ;u; My heart grows a little when I see another review. …Well, after I jump around happily and stuff. ;D**

**Next chapter will be focused on Mio, and then hopefully some fluff. Yeah.**

**Until next chapter!~ **


	3. No Procrastination Here!

**I'm back! :D *dodges tomatoes and lettuce***

**I don't really have anything to say about this chapter… ;_; **

**But, I promise there will be Mitsu fluff soon. Just not in this chapter. Last filler chapter, I promise! **

**I don't own K-ON or any of its characters.**

**This chapter focuses on Mio.**

Mio had never slept in so late.

The sun had come up a very long time ago, and mischievous rays shone through her open window shutters, shining directly onto Mio's face.

Mio groaned and pulled the covers over her eyes. Her alarm clock showed it was eleven in the morning. Usually, Mio got up at least four—sometimes five hours before eleven.

But she was exhausted.

The entire week was spent packing—her room looked as though no human being had even stayed inside. Everything important was packed away neatly into boxes, which were stacked in a straight stack. The floor was vacuumed, the closet completely empty, the bookcases bare.

Mio rolled onto her back, grimacing and finally throwing the covers off herself in a very unladylike fashion. Rubbing her eyes, Mio sat up and yawned. Her hair was a mess—had Ritsu been here, she would have laughed until her face was red and rolled on the floor.

Ritsu.

Her best friend, who was also going to be sharing an apartment with her.

Mio wasn't sure how to feel about this situation.

She was excited about college—she was a real adult now!

She was happy she was going to stay with someone she knows well, so she wouldn't get lost.

But Mio wasn't incredibly eager to share an apartment with Ritsu.

Mio had seen Ritsu's room—multiple times. It was messy. Unorganized. Basically, a pig pen with a human living inside. She couldn't live with someone who was so messy.

Mio stood up and stretched, yawning again.

She closed the window shutters, and took a look around her room.

"I can't believe I'm actually leaving," Mio announced to her empty room in a dazed tone. Leaving home meant no mother to make her pancakes on Mondays, no daddy—er, father to tease her all the time and help her with homework..

Mio almost didn't want to leave. Frowning, she realized this is probably what Azusa felt when she, Mugi, Ritsu, and Yui graduated. Wanting to cling to any or all memories and keep things just the way they are.

Mio's grumbling stomach broke her out of her trance.

Sighing, Mio looked at her room once again, and satisfied with how it looked, left her bedroom to go downstairs and get some food into her stomach.

The house was quiet—too quiet.

The Akiyama family was known to be quiet—minding their own business, too busy working on things to pay attention to anything else.

But it was just too quiet for Mio's taste.

It was as if she was walking through a graveyard.

Mio could hear the thumping of her feet against the wooden stairs, and the familiar squeak of the fourth stair as she climbed down.

Once downstairs, Mio made herself breakfast—two slices of toast with some orange juice and scrambled eggs—quietly and uncomfortably.

Where was her father, to say good morning and tease about her bedhead? Where was her mother, to also say good morning and give her a quick kiss on the forehead before asking how she slept?

Subconsciously, Mio stroked her hair, trying to smooth out her bedhead.

There was a note on the refridgerator written in her mother's neat, careful writing, explaining where she and her father had gone.

Mio took the note off the refridgerator, sat down where she usually sat at the table and rested her head on the cool polished wood. Is this how living in an apartment alone would feel like?

A little voice in the back of Mio's head reminded her that she also had Ritsu—who would definitely make life interesting.

But she didn't want Ritsu. She wanted her family.

At that moment, Mio hated herself. Here she was, spending one morning alone without her parents, being gloomy about sharing an apartment with her best friend. She knew for a fact Ritsu was left home alone with Satoshi, and probably knew perfectly well how to live on her own.

It was Mio who couldn't adapt to college life, being used to parents guiding her everywhere, doing everything for her, treating her like a child.

Mio ripped up the note until it was merely white specks. She ate the rest of her breakfast in silence, trying to keep the tears from falling down her cheeks.

Several minutes later, Mio merely tossed the dishes into the sink and trudged back upstairs. Stepping back inside her room, Mio sat on her bed and thought.

Thought about how college life would be, how living with Ritsu would be, how she would live without her parents guiding her everywhere.

Mio was taken out of her thoughts by an annoying vibrating, which turned out to be her phone. Mio irritably picked it up and flipped it open. She had one new text message.

**Yui: **Miooo-chaaan! :D Wanna come over to have some cake? ^o^ Mugi-chan brought some over!

Mio smiled and responded quickly.

**Mio: **Sorry Yui, I can't, I have to get cleaned up and ready to move to my new apartment. Maybe some other time?

Yui texted back just as quickly.

**Yui: Aww, you too? :( Ricchan couldn't come either! D: Well, you better next time! Promise! :D **

Mio laughed for the first time in the entire week—she had been so busy packing and getting the final details squared away that the entire week had been about work, work work.

**Mio: Okay, another time. Just tell me when. I have to go now, talk to you later.**

Mio closed her phone with a click and smiled as she changed out her pajamas and put on a clean pair of jeans, a striped gray shirt, and brushed her hair out.

Leave it to Yui to make her feel better.

**What the hell—**

**Um, yeah! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! :D**

**Personally, it was fun to write a tiny bit of angst—it IS delicious, after all. *licks lips and goes off to read fanfics with angst as a theme* **

**I really don't have anything to say about this chapter.**

**I promise next chapter will have Mitsu in it! D:**

**Anyway, please review! :D It makes me happier and brightens my day!~**

**Until next chapter~**

**Next chapter will be the moving chapter. Mwahahaha. **


	4. The Great Move!

**Another chapter! Yay! ^o^ Finally orz**

**Thank you to all that reviewed, just seeing one more review makes my day. :]**

**This is the fluff chapter! [Finally?] From this point on, there will be yuri. Not particularly hardcore yuri [yet?], but still yuri. That means girlxgirl. If you've read this far and don't like yuri, close this browser and watch K-ON or Puella Magi Madoka Magica. Both are amazing. **

**Please forgive any grammar and/or spelling mistakes, I'm not a perfect person. Feel free to point any out, I don't bite, I **_**promise. **_

**Onwards~! **

Ritsu lay on her bed, messy untamed bangs down, staring at the ceiling, and sighed. Her room was clean—the cleanest she had ever seen it. Usually the floor wasn't visible. Now, the slightly dusty carpet glared at the ceiling.

Ritsu didn't like her room being clean.

It felt as though she was leaving for good—or being kicked out. Not the best feeling in the world. Plus, when her room was clean, she couldn't find anything!

It was around two in the afternoon. Ritsu had finished cleaning her room an hour before, and had crashed on her bed lazily. _I wonder how Mio is doing with cleaning and packing, _Ritsu thought, hitting the air with imaginary drumsticks. She smirked. _Mio probably finished cleaning days before. Like the responsible adult she is. _

Ritsu groaned. _That's right. I'm technically an adult now, aren't I? Joy. _

Ritsu sat up and shook her head like a dog drying off, letting her bangs whiplash.

The bare walls that were usually covered from corner to corner in posters seemed to stare at her. The whiteness was blinding.

Standing up quickly, Ritsu looked around her empty room for something to do. "Sooo…boreddd…" Ritsu groaned, and walked over to her closet out of boredom.

Ritsu hadn't ever really used her closet—it was mainly for holding the old dresses she never wore and a place to put random possessions on the rare times she'd been told to clean her room. It was also rather small.

It was a mess inside. It almost looked like Ritsu's room before she had cleaned it—just a small replica.

Ritsu poked her head inside and immediately sneezed. The closet and things inside were coated in dust. "Damn it." Ritsu grimaced, and rubbed her nose, sniffing.

But Ritsu had always wondered what was stashed inside her closet—she vaguely recalled shoving things in the darkness she didn't feel like organizing when told to clean her room—but that was it.

What if there was some kind of historical artifact stashed inside? It was a possibility—she never knew who had lived in this house previously. Maybe a famous person had hid something away in the closet! Ritsu grinned, her eyes sparkling, imagining the money she could get from selling a historical artifact.

Curiosity got the best of her. Ritsu sat down and eagerly groped around in the darkness. Her hand hit something solid, and Ritsu grabbed it and pulled whatever the solid thing was into the light.

It was a small, dusty brown box that looked as though it hadn't seen the sun in years. Ritsu brushed off some of the dust before opening the box carefully.

Inside was a gray photo album, with a yellow ribbon tying it closed. It looked as though the slightest touch would break it. Ritsu's eyes widened, and then she sneezed. "Damn dust," she growled, and proceeded to brush the dust off the album with care, when she met another surprise.

There was writing on the front of the album—too faded to read, but still writing. It looked childlike, in big, bold strokes, although it was too faded to make out any kind of words. Ritsu sighed and squinted at the front. She read a tiny bit of the writing that wasn't as faded as the rest that read "memories." Ritsu gave up on trying to read the rest of the writing after examining the front of the album for a few seconds, before moving on.

Probably being the most careful she'd ever been in her life, Ritsu slowly untied the yellow ribbon and opened the photo album.

Colorful photos, stickers, and messy writing met her eyes. With joy, Ritsu realized the pictures, stickers, and writing inside looked fresh—as if it had been written seconds before. "This may lead somewhere!" Ritsu announced, lying on her stomach in a more comfortable position.

However, just as Ritsu was about to begin examining the photo album, there was a knock on her bedroom door. "Ritsu, it's time to leave for your new apartment!" came her mother's cheery and obviously excited voice. Cursing her bad luck, Ritsu retied the ribbon on the album and put it in the backpack she was using to bring more personal items. "Okay, but can ya help me with these boxes? I'm supposed to meet Mio in like, thirty minutes!"

Akiyama Mio was annoyed. Not just moderately annoyed—like she usually was with Ritsu, but annoyed to the nerve. Her hands twitched, and she fought a deep scowl off her face.

Who could have annoyed the great Akiyama Mio so much?

Why, only her mother.

"Mio, do you have your bass? Oh, be sure to bring all your bass materials—but you can always come back to get those, right? Be sure to remember your picks—I don't want you to be upset like before when you realize you forgot them, like on that one field trip you had…"

Mio felt like duct taping her mother's mouth shut. She was glad her mother had duties to attend to—or she'd have her ear talked off.

It was thirty minutes before the time she and Ritsu were scheduled to meet, and thirty minutes before was "late" to Mrs. Akiyama. Mio's arms hurt from carrying heavy boxes to a small rental truck, and her ears rang from listening to her mother rant on and on.

Mr. Akiyama merely watched the two women of the house, glasses low on his nose, twirling the keys to the rental truck on one finger. He was dressed casually—he didn't have a full tuxedo on.

"Yes Mom, I have my bass. I organized them all before, yes, including my picks…"

Mio's clear irrigation must've not been obvious to her mother, because Mrs. Akiyama went on and on.

"Oh, and give Ricchan the food I prepared for her—be sure not to drop it, okay? Your father and I also have some textbooks from our college days, you can borrow them to study off of if you want to, just come by to pick them up any time! Don't forget to visit, and call, and…"

Just when Mio felt as though she was going to explode, her father finally stepped in. "Honey, we should send Mio on her way—it's nearly fifteen minutes to the time she's supposed to meet Ricchan."

Mrs. Akiyama glanced at one of the many clocks in the house—the Akiyamas were known for having a spotless record of never being late, probably due to this—and jumped. "Oh my! I'm sorry, Mio! I…got a bit carried away…"

Her mother trailed off, all previous energy gone, and stared at the dust free carpet.

Mio's anger evaporated in a second. She wearily wrapped her arms around her mother in a tight hug. "Don't worry, Mom. I have everything. I'll come back to visit, I promise. Plus, I have Ritsu if there's any problem."

Mrs. Akiyama smiled and hugged her daughter back, just as tightly. "That's right…Ricchan has a rather…interesting way of solving things." As sudden as the hug had been, it was over just as soon.

Mrs. Akiyama smiled at her daughter. "Kick university's ass, Mio." With a fluid moment, she pulled an rectangular object from her apron and handed it to Mio. "Take this with you, too. Open it when you get to your new apartment." Flashing a V to her daughter and an impish smile that reminded Mio of Ritsu too much, Mrs. Akiyama walked back to the depths of her house.

Mio held the object in her hands, staring at it. It looked…almost familiar, but she wasn't sure where she'd seen it before. _Oh well, I'll figure it out when I get to the new apartment,_ Mio thought to herself, shrugging.

As her father drove her to the new apartment, Mio's main thought, other than the mysterious object her mother had given her, wasn't about her future university life—it was about where her mother's more wild side had been hiding.

"Slugbug white, no tagbacks!" Ritsu screamed, punching Satoshi on the arm not so lightly.

"Ow, onee-chan, that hurt!" Satoshi whined, dropping the manga he was reading and holding his arm in pain and biting his lip. "Do you have to hit so hard?"

Ritsu sat in the front seat of her father's old car, feet propped up on the dashboard and hands behind her head. She looked in the rearview mirror at Satoshi, who sat alone in the backseat.

Ritsu grinned. "Think of it as a goodbye from your older sister!" Bringing the back of her hand to her forehead in an exaggerated motion, Ritsu sighed. "Who knows when you'll see me again? You should value the time we have together!"

Satoshi picked up his manga and turned to the exact page he had been reading—_too much like Mio, _Ritsu realized, and said simply, "You're laying it on pretty thick."

Ritsu dropped her hand and glared at her brother. "Oi."

"Well, you are. I don't know how Mio-san deals with you. I would've expected someone like her to drop you in a minute."

"You're only saying that because you have a crush on her~!"

"…Shut up."

Mr. Tainaka sighed and shook his head, a grin on his face. "Now I know why your mother didn't want to take you to the new apartment."

Satoshi immediately dropped his manga and pulled a small box from his pocket. "I came to bring Mio-san this!" Opening it carefully, he proudly showed it off to a curious Ritsu.

"A friendship bracelet." Ritsu said in a monotone voice, clearly not impressed.

"Shut up! I only had about an hour to make it!" Satoshi defended, closing the box and holding it in his lap carefully.

"Oh yeah, Mio'll definitely appreciate a friendship bracelet made in an hour."

"Shut up!" Satoshi punched his sister's shoulder, unable to keep a grin off his face.

"Why you little—c'mere!" Ritsu growled, also letting a grin slide onto her face, turning around and leaning over to begin a battle with her brother.

"Ow, that was my eye!"

"Oops, sorry, my hand kinda bumped into it—ow! My head!"

"Hah! I would've thought your head had a crack straight through it from all the injuries Mio-san has inflicted on it!"

"Hiyah! Take that!"

"Oh, it's on!"

This went on for several minutes, until the driver of the car finally decided to step in.

Mr. Tainaka, completely aware of his children's behavior but choosing to ignore it, grinned. "Hey, you two. Stop it. We're here—Ricchan and Mio-san's new apartment."

**/end **

**I'm terrible for leaving it right there, aren't I? Well, I do have a reason. I thought the moving chapter was too large and important a chapter to be a single chapter—so it will be divided up into two chapters. I also didn't want to rush things more than I already do. So, yeah, there's my reason. **

**The mysterious rectangular item! What is it? Some people may figure it out—the others that can't…well, wait. It'll come, it'll come. **

**Some notes on this chapter: **

**-I think Mio has sensible and overprotective "tiger parents" that just don't show their more interesting side, but instead lock it away. **

**-I couldn't miss the opportunity to have some sibling rivalry between Ritsu and Satoshi. Everyone fights with their sibling, once in a while. It's unavoidable. Trust me, I would know. **

**Due to how their children grew and developed, I think the Tainaka family is very laidback and fun, while the Akiyamas strive for excellence and are uptight. That would explain how Mio and Ritsu's different personalities seem to clash and be complete opposites at times. **

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter ^o^ Please review! It makes my day when I see a new review :) **

**Next chapter: Moving pt. 2! **


	5. The Great Move! pt 2

**Why, hello there! Next chapter, here we go~!**

**This is part two of the moving chapter. I explained why I split it up into two parts at the end of the previous chapter; if you ignore any and all author notes, basically I didn't want to shrink such a big point into one chapter. **

**Also, from this chapter on there will be yuri. That means girlxgirl. If you don't like yuri, and you've gotten this far, please go watch K-ON or Puella Magi Madoka Magica, or find another fanfiction that suits you. (: **

**Onwards!**

**/**

"Well…here it is!" Mr. Akiyama said, parking the rented car in the parking lot of the apartment complex. Having done his respective part, he pulled his iPhone out of his pocket and started a game of some sort, bored.

Mio stared at her new home.

The apartments were beautiful—they had been built recently in an old abandoned lot, so the apartments looked as if no person had ever touched them. Cherry blossom trees were scattered around and the blossoms seemed to dance majestically in the air as they fell. There was around twenty or so separate rooms, and the complex itself was huge—its width seemed equivalent to five or six houses lined up in a straight line.

There were several plazas close enough to walk to, which included a movie theater, fast food places, some fancy restraunts, and many clothing stores. There wasn't a freeway nearby and the closest street wasn't a very busy one.

"I hope this meets your needs, Mio. There's a camping ground on the far side of the complex, a few miles away, some nice looking trees, and a mountain you can hike up that has an amazing view apparently," Mr. Akiyama told his amazed daughter, without looking up from his phone. "There's a bedroom, a small room for whatever purpose you decide to use it for, a kitchen, and a living room, as well as a back patio where people can sit and relax."

Mio opened the rental car door and stepped out, still staring at the apartments. Truthfully, she had expected her parents to buy her a cheap rundown apartment, but she was obviously wrong.

The entire place had a very calming and welcoming feeling to it—Mio almost felt as though she had been here for a long time, even though she had just arrived.

Mr. Akiyama continued to tap on his phone, stretching his legs in the rental car and opening a window to let some air in. "You should start unloading some of the boxes in the back, the Tainakas are on their way—ah, there they are."

Mio had her back to the entrance of the parking lot, starting to unload the first heavy box of many. A short but loud honk announced the arrival of the Tainaka family, and Mr. Tainaka took a risky quick and sharp turn into the parking space next to the Akiyama's rented car.

Mr. Tainaka rolled down the window of the passenger side of the car casually, grinning as Ritsu fought with her seatbelt to get out of the car. "Yo! How ya been?"

"Hello. I've been just fine, and you?" Mr. Akiyama responded respectfully, still not looking up from his phone. He seemed to type even faster.

"You can call me by my first name, Norio." Mr. Tainaka said, his grin expanding, putting his hands behind his head and stretching.

There was a pause. "Fine, Hiroki." Mr. Akiyama sighed. "But we're not in high school anymore."

Mr. Tainaka's grin never left his face. "I know! But it still feels like we're living the dream! Two children, one going off to university, not too much work, a beautiful wife—this is the life, Nor!"

Mr. Akiyama's face heated up, in a way very similar to Mio. "I thought you grew out of that nickname in senior year."

Meanwhile, as both fathers talked, both of the Tainaka children had bounded out of the car.

Ritsu narrowed her amber eyes as the bright sun shone directly into them. She had her hair held back by a strikingly yellow headband—as usual—and was dressed in casual clothes, shorts and a V neck—finally ditching the boring school uniform. "Mio-chuaaannn~!"

Satoshi followed slowly, suddenly finding the license plate of his father's car extremely interesting.

Mio turned just as Ritsu ran up to her. Wrapping her arms around the bassist, Ritsu hugged Mio energetically. Mio felt like her internal organs were being squeezed out of her. "Idiot, you're going to squeeze the life out of me." Mio said sternly, but hugged Ritsu back not as tightly.

Mio was aware Ritsu was pushed up against her, of the drummer's strong arms wrapped around her body, and the tickle of tawny locks brushing against her shoulder. If it was possible, Mio felt even calmer than she had been before.

However, Ritsu's eyes widened, and she let go after the bassist returned her hug to stare at the bassist. Mio raised an eyebrow and lamely let her outstretched arms fall to her sides. "What?" Mio felt like she was shrinking under Ritsu's stare, even though she was taller.

"Since when do you return hugs, Mio?" Ritsu questioned, stroking her chin and eying her friend.

Mio felt her face redden a bit.

Mio returned hugs whenever they were given to her, but she couldn't remember the last time she had hugged Ritsu, or the last time Ritsu had hugged her. _Maybe on graduation day...or was that Yui?_ Mio thought to herself.

Ritsu had never really been that into hugs—although she could remember some times as children when Ritsu would run up to her and give a bone breaking hug for no apparent reason. But Ritsu had grown out of that. Didn't she?

Mio was neutral on hugs in general anyway—she didn't hate them, but she wasn't a huge fan of them either. She let friends hug her—they just kind of demanded it peacefully—her parents, and her parents' friends.

But Ritsu's hug—she didn't want it to end, it was calming and relaxing and made her feel at ease…

_Why am I suddenly enjoying hugs? Much less Ritsu's hugs!_

It had felt like an instinct, something to do right away.

_It must mean I'm finally getting used to her being around. __It has been years, anyway. _

Mio shook her head and glared at her friend. "I lost my balance because a certain airhead ran into me," she stated calmly, turning around and starting to unload another box. Ritsu, losing her accusing stare, pretended to be surprised and looked around in an exaggerated way. "Airhead? Where's Yui?"

One glare from Mio sent Ritsu back to her respective vehicle to begin unpacking.

"M-Mio-san…" Satoshi stuttered, walking past his sister with a face resembling a tomato. "Uh…I-I made s-something for you…" Blushing, he pulled the small box out of his jeans pocket and held it with shaking hands.

Mio turned around in surprise—Ritsu had talked about Satoshi having a crush on her, but she had thought Ritsu was lying. Siblings like to tease each other, don't they?

Looking at Satoshi, his blushing face, eyes that refused to look at her directly, and shaking hands, Mio realized how much he resembled his sister.

Of course, Ritsu rarely blushed, always looked people directly in the eye, and was always brave and fearless—in public. Satoshi was almost the exact opposite of his sister—it was almost like he was a male version Ritsu's opposite.

Suddenly, a blushing Ritsu popped into Mio's head. She had her hair down, bangs covering her large forehead, amber eyes darting around, never looking at one spot for longer than a second. Her cheeks were pink, and she twiddled her thumbs nervously. "H-Hello…" Ritsu stuttered, blushing even more.

Satoshi became very worried when Mio began to hit her head against her car. "M-Mio-san? Are you alright?" Satoshi began to tremble even more.

Mio stopped hitting her head and blushed. "A-Ah…sorry."

"I-I hope you like it, M-Mio-san." Satoshi said quickly, and held out the black box, which Mio took cautiously—who knew, Ritsu could've sent Satoshi prank her.

"Ah, thank you Satoshi-kun," Mio answered respectfully, smiling at the poor boy. "I'm busy at the moment, but I'll look at it later, I promise. Thank you again!"

Satoshi let out a breath he wasn't even aware he was holding in and walked quickly back to his car, leaving Mio to her work. Ritsu had unloaded half the boxes already, and was quickly unloading more. "Don't hurt yourself, onee-chan," Satoshi stated plainly, leaning against the side of the car and watching his sister unload boxes.

"Oh, shut up." Ritsu answered, and put down the box she was unloading. "I-I hope you like it, M-Mio-san…" Ritsu said, impersonating her brother in a high voice and batting her eyelashes.

"Shut up! I don't sound like that!"

Mio listened to the two siblings bicker on and on, and then looked at her father, who was now in a friendly conversation with Mr. Tainaka, who seemed to be very excited about something. Her father's eyes were still glued to his phone, nonetheless.

There was a loud and distracting groan that seemed to echo across the apartment parking lot. "Finally! Done!" Ritsu announced, punching the air victoriously. All the boxes in her car had been unpacked in record time—Mio wondered if she had bionic arms or something.

Suddenly, Mio became aware of a hand waving in front of her face. She blinked and pushed the hand out of her sight. "Earth to Mioooo…" came Ritsu's voice, sounding slightly annoyed. "E-Eh? Oh…sorry, zoned out a little there," Mio stuttered, avoiding the drummer's gaze.

A rough hand grasped her upper arm. Mio tensed, only to meet Ritsu's golden eyes. "You alright there? The great Mio doesn't usually zone out unless she's being forced to sing in front of a gazillion people…"

Mio knew that her cheeks were probably turning red, but all she was aware of was Ritsu's hand on her arm. She never realized Ritsu had such a rough hand—callused and rough—yet gentle and soft at the same time.

"I just was staring at how beautiful the scenery is," Mio said lamely. Mio thanked the gods when Ritsu took her hand off her arm, looking at her with a raised eyebrow before grinning. "Yeah. They have some pretty nice trees, huh? We should invite Yui, Mugi, and Azusa sometime!"

"We're only moving in and you're already thinking of inviting people over?"

Ritsu pouted. "Well, it could be a settling in occasion…"

Just as Mio opened her mouth to respond, there was a loud and quick whistle. "Oi, you two! You should start bringing your stuff inside your apartment and not stay here all day!" Satoshi yelled, leaning on the Tainaka's car.

Ritsu ran over to her car, leaving Mio to unload her own boxes by herself. "You're not gonna help your superiors bring their stuff in?" Ritsu complained, staring at Satoshi, who was starting a game on his DS.

"Mmm…nope. I've gotta beat a lot more levels before I can get to the boss."

Ritsu scoffed as she picked up the first box of many. "That's too bad. We could use some help. Especially Mio. She can barely drag a box over to the flight of stairs."

"Yeah, well—wait. Mio-san needs help with boxes?"

Ritsu picked up a box and started walking away. "Yeah, but…you obviously don't care. Go back to your game."

Satoshi closed his DS and shoved it in his pocket, eyes shining. "I-I'll help!"

Immediately turning away from his sister, Satoshi walked over to Mio, who was struggling with a heavy box. Trying not to seem too desperate, he coughed. "N-Need some help, Mio-san?" Satoshi asked, smiling.

Mio looked at the boy once, and then focused on lifting the box. "Ah, no thanks Satoshi-kun. I'm alright. But could you tell your sister to get a move on and start bringing the boxes up?" With that, Mio finally picked up the box and began to walk to the apartments.

Satoshi kept his smile on his face and turned around to walk back to his sister. Ritsu picked up another box and grinned at her brother. "She turned your help down, didn't she?"

Satoshi took his DS out of his jacket pocket, grumbling. Ritsu's grin became larger. "I never said she would accept your help. I only said she struggles with heavy boxes."

Turning around and leaving her brother to grumble to himself, Ritsu began the small journey from the parking lot to the actual apartments. Mr. Tainaka opened the door of his car and climbed out, stretching.

"Hey, Ritsu! Your apartment is 1G!" he yelled out.

Ritsu turned around. "Where's that?"

"On the second floor." Mr. Akiyama said, climbing out of his car as well and watching his daughter struggle with a heavy box. "Tell us if you need help, alright? Hey, Rakui. Did you watch the game last night?"

Ritsu climbed up the stairs and down the hall to apartment 1G, where she set down her box. Dusting her hands, Ritsu jumped down the stairs and walked back to her own car.

"R-Ritsu! Wait!" Mio called out. "I-I can't drag this one up there…"

Ritsu turned around, grinning as usual. There was another thunk, a louder one, as Ritsu set down that box, and she jumped back down the stairs with a grin still on her face. "That wasn't so hard, was it?"

"Oh…shut up. That box was really heavy."

"Would you like some help with the other oh so heavy boxes?" Ritsu asked, looking Mio directly in the eye.

"Only the ones that are really heavy, the other ones I can handle."

"I wonder if you've ever truly grown up, Mio."

"…Do you feel like being knocked unconscious?"

Nevertheless, both girls walked back to their respective vehicle and began to drag boxes—in Mio's case—to the flight of stairs, where Ritsu would carry the boxes up the stairs and Mio would set the exceptionally heavy boxes down at the bottom.

The sun still shone brightly and high in the sky by the time the two girls were finished unloading. Soon, there was a barricade of brown boxes in front of their new apartment. Ritsu flexed. "Oh Mio, if only you worked out or played the drums…you wouldn't be such a wimp."

Mio dropped the last box she had squarely on Ritsu's foot. "Oops. It slipped."

As Ritsu whimpered, clutching her foot and treating it like a dying child, Mr. Tainaka walked over to them, Ritsu's personal backpack in hand, as Mr. Akiyama following behind—eyes still glued to his phone. "Nice job. You could've asked for help if you wanted to…"

Mio stared at the ground.

"Anyway, wanna see your apartment now?" Mr. Tainaka grinned, taking a pair of keys out of his pocket and tossing them to Mio.

Somehow, Ritsu miraculously made a full recovery and intercepted the keys before Mio could attempt to catch them. "Too slow! C'mon, Mio, let's see our apartment!" Ritsu dragged Mio up the stairs to the first floor and down the hall to the place they would now call home. Mio felt her hands shaking with excitement, and she was sure Ritsu could feel it. "Ritsu! Your backpack!" Mr. Tainaka called after them, but Ritsu ignored—or perhaps didn't hear him.

Ritsu dragged Mio down the hall, nearly knocking down an old lady on a walker. To Mio, the world seemed to fly by in a colorful blur. She came to a stop at 1G. "Ok! Let's see what's inside!" Ritsu announced, fumbling to put the key in the door.

Ritsu let go of Mio to do so, and Mio stuffed her hands in her jeans pocket. Her hands were warm. "Damn…lock…" Ritsu growled, trying to turn the key in the stiff lock. Mio sighed and pushed Ritsu out of the way. "Give me the keys."

Ritsu stuck out her bottom lip and furrowed her brow. "No, I got this!" She attempted to turn the key a few more times, before giving up. Mio sighed and tried to turn the key herself, and after a bit of wrestling with the lock, the key turned in the lock with a click.

Ritsu grinned. "Awesome! Now, Mio, open the door with me."

"I thought you wanted to."

Ritsu grinned. "It's our apartment, not just mine! Now c'mon, open the door!"

Mio put her hand next to Ritsu's on the door. "Okay, one…two…three!"

Both girls pushed open the door, and Ritsu ran ahead to look around, leaving Mio at the entrance. "Holy crap! It's amazing!" she called from inside. "Get in here, Mio!"

Mio followed inside, and her eyes widened.

Her father had definitely made the apartment seem as though it was a simple apartment—but this was far from simple.

There weren't very many rooms, but the size made it seem not too cramped. The walls in every room were painted a nice light shade of blue, and the walls seemed perfect—no chips or other damage done to them.

The apartment was laid out so that the entrance led directly to a decently sized living room. There were two doorways on the left and right side of the living room—_one leads to the bedroom, the other to the study room_, Mio guessed. The kitchen, a bit smaller than the living room, was visible from the living room, which was tucked against the back patio so the inhabitants could eat outside if they wished.

As she walked through the living room and into the kitchen, Mio realized the kitchen was beautiful as well, even though it was lacking a refridgerator and stove. The floor was polished wood, the countertops sparkling granite. There was a space big enough for a decent sized table between the living room and kitchen, and the layout was creative enough to make an even simple room design look amazing.

Ritsu was sitting on the floor in the vast living room, staring at the wall. As Mio entered the room, she pointed to a specific part of the wall. "The TV's going there."

Mio sighed. "Alright, and I suppose we could get a couch or chairs to fill the empty space."

Ritsu stood up and looked around. "The place looks really…empty. Guess we'll have to spice it up with some baby pictures~!" she looked at Mio with a sinister grin.

Mio blushed. "We should put yours up. You were a cute baby."

Mio watched the tips of Ritsu's ears turn red. "I was not—well; I was for a little bit. Satoshi ruined my cuteness by coming into the world."

"You blame everything on him, don't you?"

"Only the things he's responsible for."

Sighing, Mio grabbed Ritsu's sleeve and dragged her out of the living room. "Let's take a look at the bedroom, and then start bringing in some boxes."

Ritsu laughed. "Oh, someone's eager to get me into the bedroom…"

Ritsu found herself out of the apartment completely, standing by the boxes again in a second. "On second thought, you start bringing in the boxes. I'll look at the bedroom." Mio said, disappearing inside said room.

Ritsu grumbled and picked up a box, dragging it inside.

Mio was surprised at what she found in the bedroom.

Instead of a light shade of blue like the rest of the apartment, the walls were painted a light shade of gray. Mio walked around—it wasn't too big, not too small though. She mentally measured out the room, and decided it would be possible to fit two beds in, and a bureau.

There was a window on the left side of the room, the bright light mixing with the gray from the wall to make a swirl of yellow and gray. "We need curtains…" Mio looked around, rubbing her chin. "And a place to put all the stuff Ritsu's brought, most likely…"

Mio found her way to the closet door on the other side of the room, which was ajar, and peeked inside.

"RRAAGGGHHH!"

Mio screamed at the top of her lungs and ran back to the other side of the room, sitting down while shaking like a leaf and covering her eyes. Ritsu emerged from the closet, grinning broadly. "Gotcha."

Mio, however, didn't inflict a traumatic injury, but instead stayed on the other side of the room, shaking. "Mio? Hey. It's just me, you know…" Ritsu said soothingly, carefully walking to the other side of the room.

"Didn't see it, didn't hear it, didn't see it, didn't hear it…" Mio said robotically, repeating the words over and over. Ritsu sighed. "C'mon, Mio. It's just me!" Ritsu put her arms around Mio, in a feeble excuse for a hug, then pulled up, trying to get the black haired girl on her feet.

Mio felt completely limp in her arms, Ritsu realized, and looked for a place to set her down. Seeing no other place, Ritsu dropped Mio carefully and kneeled down beside her. "Mioooo~ it's okay, it's me, Ritsu, your best friend."

"R-Ritsu," Mio stuttered, and clung to Ritsu's shirt, hiding her face.

At this point, Ritsu wasn't sure what to do, so she awkwardly put one arm loosely around Mio—she had seen it in a movie; the other hand on Mio's head, stroking the black locks gently.

In the position they were in, Ritsu could hear Mio's erratic heartbeat pounding, and whispered soothing words into the bassist's ear. "It's ok, Mio, it's just me, Ritsu… It's ok…" Mio sniffed and continued to cling to Ritsu's shirt.

Ritsu was relieved when she heard Mio's heartbeat begin to calm down—she had done the right thing after all. Silently, Ritsu thanked Mio for dragging her to see cheesy romance movies with her.

There was an awkward silence, and then…

"R-Ritsu!" Mio screeched, wrenching herself out of Ritsu's grip and hitting the drummer squarely on the head. Ritsu fell to the ground, clutching her head. Any calmness between the two was immediately shattered.

"Hey, I thought I heard you two here," Mr. Tainaka said, still grinning, walking into the bedroom. "Ooh, nice. The place looks even cooler in real life."

He then seemed to notice Ritsu holding her head and Mio glaring at the drummer with all her fury, and chuckled. "Well, I'll leave you two to that. Ritsu, there's some money in your backpack for a meal, Nor—er, me and Mio's dad'll be chilling at a nearby arcade with Satoshi." He threw Ritsu's personal backpack at her feet, then walked back out, hands in his pockets.

Mio walked around the bedroom, examining the walls. "Well, wanna start unpacking? I unpacked a few already…" Ritsu stated, rubbing her head.

Mio sighed and turned around to face Ritsu. "What's the point? We don't have any furniture—wait, you started unpacking?"

"Only some small stuff, yeah. But we could get unpacking over with! It's boring. You always talk about doing things right away, don't you?"

"It would make things really messy and hard to get furniture in."

Ritsu grinned. "With me around, this place'll be messy anyway."

"No."

"But…"

"No. I don't want to make our new apartment messy already."

**/**

"I just close my eyes and fall asleep on your deathbed, can you be resurrected~?"

Mio raised an eyebrow, looking at Ritsu from the corner of her eye.

Her best friend was drumming with her actual drumsticks—the only thing Mio had let her unpack—on a couple of unpacked boxes, and singing along to some song.

"What song is that, Ritsu?" Mio asked, wishing she could take her bass out as well—but no. Cleanliness. Bringing out musical equipment would make things cluttered—and Ritsu would beg to unload her drums as well—which were still unassembled in the Tainaka's car.

"Just some song I have on my iPod. I didn't pay attention to the name." Ritsu answered, and then sighed. "Mio, I'm bored."

"You could go look around," the bassist suggested, leaning against the living room wall.

Ritsu stood up. "Good idea. Watch my drumsticks." With that, the drummer ran off, eager to explore the apartment.

Mio picked up the drumsticks and examined them.

They were warm from Ritsu's grip.

There was a flush from somewhere on the right side of the living room, and Mio made a mental note to herself. _Bathroom on right side, by the study room. _

Curious, Mio tried drumming on the boxes like Ritsu had, trying to follow the beat Ritsu had played to, when there was a shout. "Mio! Guess what I found!"

"What?" Mio dropped the drumsticks like they were burning hot, and put them on the floor where Ritsu had set them.

"I found the game room!" came Ritsu's excited reply.

"The what?"

"The game room! Y'know, where games go." Ritsu ran out of the doorway leading to the study room and bathroom and over to her friend.

Mio sighed. "Oh, the spare room. That's not going to be a game room, it's going to be a study room."

Ritsu blinked. "But then, where will all my games go?"

"Do you honestly think you'll have time to play any games? We're in university now, Ritsu…"

"B-But…"

"No buts. It's a study room. Alright?" Mio said in a final tone, staring directly at her friend.

Ritsu furrowed her brow. "What if it was a study and game room?" she said, stroking her chin.

"That would be terrible." Mio said stubbornly, standing up.

"But I could play games when you aren't studying, and you could study when I'm not playing games!" Ritsu yelled, putting her hands on Mio's shoulders and staring into the bassist's eyes. "It would work! I wouldn't die of boredom and you would study after all!"

"But when will you study?" the black haired girl responded, shrugging Ritsu's hands off her shoulders and walking into the hall that led to the study room. Ritsu followed. "Please, oh please, Mio ~?" Ritsu begged, whimpering.

"I'll think about it if you do well in first term."

Ritsu gasped. "But that's so long away!"

There was a pause, and Mio assumed Ritsu had given up. She walked into the study room, looking around and noting where everything could be placed.

Mio nearly fell over as Ritsu clung to her left leg in a surprise attack. "Please, please, please pleeeassee~? I promise I'll study! But I'll die without playing a game!"

Mio looked down at the drummer, who met her eyes with a puppy dog face.

"…Fine."

Ritsu let go of Mio's leg and leaped for joy.

"However, there will be no playing in the morning, when we're supposed to be asleep, or when we're supposed to be studying. If I find you playing a game when you're not supposed to be, you can't play a game for a week."

"Three days."

"…Four days."

"Deal." Ritsu let go of Mio and punched the air in victory. "Woooo~! Let's remember to invite Yui, Azusa, and Mugi over sometime! I want them to see our awesome new apartment!"

Mio smiled. "We should. But first, we need furniture."

Ritsu ran back into the living room as if realizing something, leaving Mio in the study room alone. Mio raised an eyebrow as Ritsu came back with a magazine in her hand and backpack slung over her shoulder. "Look! I found a furniture catalogue in my room and thought it may be useful!"

Ritsu threw the catalogue at Mio, who barely caught it, then went back into the living room to collect her drumsticks. Mio looked at the cover of the catalogue—it seemed legitimate enough.

"The Furniture Warehouse, 'buy all your furniture for the cheapest prices anywhere.'"

Slightly interested, Mio opened the catalogue and flipped through.

Several things caught her eye. "Wow! These are really good prices!" Mio gushed, staring wide eyed at the catalogue. "We could save a lot of money by buying from here!"

Ritsu, having found her drumsticks, walked back into the study room and began air drumming while looking over Mio's shoulder. "Yeah. Oh! I folded a page full of stuff I thought you might like, Mio."

Flipping through some pages, Mio found the folded page and turned to it.

The page was full of cute toys, accessories, and other things for children, from carpeting to window curtains.

Ritsu had even been courteous and circled some things she thought Mio might want—by circling the entire page and drawing a smiley face.

Mio sighed. She had expected something scary, not cute—she guessed Ritsu had been feeling generous. "Cute. But we're going shopping soon. Very soon. And we're not buying any of this."

Ritsu stopped air drumming, and stood up to take the catalogue from Mio. "Aww, not even the pink and white polka dots bedding?"

"…" Mio threw the catalogue at Ritsu's face and walked out of the study room.

"Hey, Mio, wait! Can we get food? I'm starving!"

**/**

**Second and final part of the moving chapter! Next comes university hassles and such.**

**Yup. Uhm. *awkwardly scratches back of neck* W-Whatsup?**

**I tried to make up for the previous Mitsu shortage in this chapter—can you tell? D:**

**Schoolwork can go …die somewhere. Because I don't really want to deal with it T_T Oh well. **

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter~ :D **

**Please tell me if you see any grammar/spelling mistakes, sometimes I'm not aware of them even after proofreading for hours. I would appreciate it a lot if you review as well! Even if it's a harsh flame—I want to know what you liked or didn't like about this chapter!**

**Well, that's it for now, I'll be drowning in school work forever. **

**~Continued in Chapter 6~**

***edit* I changed the plot around—mostly the things that bugged me the most. **

**Mio and Ritsu's dad's names  
>Mio and Ritsu don't completely unpack everything now<br>Attempted to add Satoshi in a bit more  
>Deleted unnecessary '-chuan's and 'idiots'<br>And a lot of other things.**

**Thank you to the reviewers that pointed these mistakes out. *end edit***


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